FM-CW radar is used as a radar system for measuring the distance and the relative velocity of a target object. As FM-CW radar can measure the distance and the relative velocity of a vehicle traveling in front by using a simple signal processing circuit, and as its transmitter and receiver can be constructed with simple circuitry, this type of radar is used as an automotive collision avoidance radar.
The principle of FM-CW radar is as follows. An oscillator is frequency-modulated, for example, by a triangular wave of several hundred hertz, and the frequency-modulated wave is transmitted; then, a reflected signal from a target object is received, and the received signal is frequency-demodulated using the frequency-modulated wave as the local frequency. Here, the reflected wave from the target is shifted in frequency from the transmitted signal (i.e., produces a beat) according to the distance between the radar and the target and also to the Doppler shift due to the relative velocity of the target. The distance and the relative velocity of the target object can be measured from this frequency shift.
In an FM-CW radar system, a triangular wave is often used as the modulating signal, and the description given herein deals with the case where a triangular wave is used as the modulating signal, but it will be appreciated that a modulating wave of another shape, such as a sawtooth wave or a trapezoidal wave, can be used instead of the triangular wave.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of FM-CW radar when the relative velocity with respect to the target object is 0. The transmitted wave is a triangular wave whose frequency changes as shown by a solid line in part (a) of FIG. 1. In the figure, f0 is the transmit center frequency of the transmitted wave, Δf is the FM modulation amplitude, and Tm is the repetition period. The transmitted wave is reflected from the target object and received by an antenna; the received wave is shown by a dashed line in part (a) of FIG. 1. The round trip time T of the radio wave to and from the target object is given by T=2r/C, where r is the distance to the target object and C is the velocity of propagation of the radio wave.
Here, the received wave is shifted in frequency from the transmitted signal (i.e., produces a beat) according to the distance between the radar and the target object.
The beat frequency component fb can be expressed by the following equation.fb=fr=(4·Δf/C·Tm)r  (1)
FIG. 2, on the other hand, is a diagram for explaining the principle of FM-CW radar when the relative velocity with respect to the target object is v. The frequency of the transmitted wave changes as shown by a solid line in part (a) of FIG. 2. The transmitted wave is reflected from the target object and received by an antenna; the received wave is shown by a dashed line in part (a) of FIG. 2. Here, the received wave is shifted in frequency from the transmitted signal (i.e., produces a beat) according to the distance between the radar and the target object. In this case, as the relative velocity with respect to the target object is v, a Doppler shift occurs, and the beat frequency component fb can be expressed by the following equation.fb=fr±fd=(4·Δf/C·Tm)r±(2·f0/C)v  (2)
In the above equations (1) and (2), the symbols have the following meanings.
fb: Transmission/reception beat frequency
fr: Range (distance) frequency
fd: Velocity frequency
f0: Center frequency of transmitted wave
Δf: Frequency modulation amplitude
Tm: Period of modulated wave
C: Velocity of light (velocity of radio wave)
T: Round trip time of radio wave to and from target object
r: Range (distance) to target object
v: Relative velocity with respect to target object
In an FM-CW radar system, however, there are cases where not only the signal reflected from the target object but noise and a signal from a target located at medium or long range are also detected. This can lead to an erroneous detection which indicates that the target object is at a distance different from the actual distance.
An object of the present invention is to provide a radar system which, even in the presence of noise or a signal from a target located at medium or long range, can identify whether the signal appearing on the radar is the signal from the target object or is noise or a signal from some other source, and can thus determine whether the distance to the target object has been correctly measured.